Roasted Whole Romanesco
When fractal-like romanesco showed up in my CSA box, I knew exactly what to do. I'd just recently discovered Yottam Ottolenghi's Whole Roasted Cauliflower in his cookbook Simple and figured this chartreuse relative of cauliflower would be a perfect stand-in.
It turns out, there are quite a few opinions regarding best methods for roasting a whole brassica. One that I adopted, because I appreciate simplicity, was to skip the initial step of boiling the romanesco before roasting. Instead, a pan of water is placed in the oven for some added moisture. Cutting out the core also helped to promote more even cooking.
With only three ingredients and quick prep, it's hard to beat the "rewards to effort" ratio in this visually striking and delectable dish!
Roasted Whole Romanesco
Serves 4-6 as a side
Place cast iron skillet in oven. Place small pan of hot water on floor of oven to create steam. Preheat oven to 375°F.
Trim leaves off 3 small or one medium romanesco. Cut stems off flush so the heads sit straight. From the bottom, cut out hard core in center of stem without detaching florets from stem.
Place romanesco stem-side down in pre-heated cast iron skillet and roast for 1 to 1 1/2 hrs, depending on size, or until a skewer can be inserted thru to center. (Note: It took 1 hr for the romanescos pictured in photo.)
Baste 2 to 3 times with more olive oil during the roasting period. If your oven has it, switch to convection for the last 10 minutes to crisp up the romanesco.
Bring the roasted romanesco to the table whole and let diners ooh and ahh before cutting into serving portions!
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